The innovations and related subject matter disclosed herein (collectively referred to as the “disclosure”) generally pertain to woven structures and associated systems for weaving such structures. Some aspects of disclosed innovations pertain to braided structures, such as braided wire structures, with a braided directional mesh being but one example. Other aspects of innovations disclosed herein pertain to methods of manufacturing woven structures, with an automated method of braiding a directional mesh being but one example. As but one example, some disclosed directional mesh structures constitute a portion of an energizable electrode configured for an electrosurgical therapy.
As used herein, the term “directional mesh” means an axially asymmetric woven structure. The sequence of drawings in FIGS. 1A, 1B and 1C shows a working embodiment of an innovative directional mesh.
Transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) has been considered the reference ‘gold standard’ surgical procedure for low urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) due to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). The high success rate of TURP as measured by substantial and sustained improvements of symptom scores, urinary flow rate and other functional parameters, remains associated with significant morbidity.
As a consequence, a number of minimally invasive therapeutic alternatives have been proposed during the last 30 years, including, inter alia, bipolar vaporization. Bipolar vaporization has shown promise as being an effective, safe and low-cost minimally invasive technique, providing very good hemostasis control and low complication rates. Suitable surgeon vision and hemostasis available during a bipolar vaporization procedure makes bipolar vaporization suitable for use in patients from high-risk groups, including those with cardiac pacemakers, bleeding disorders, or under anticoagulant therapy. Together with a relatively lower-cost per procedure compared to laser techniques, such advantages make bipolar vaporization an attractive technique for use in a variety of urological practice settings.
Bipolar vaporization techniques generate little heating of tissue surrounding a treatment site and are conducted without direct contact to tissue at a treatment site. In general, a bipolar electrode generates a thin plasma layer surrounding an electrically conductive portion of the electrode when an electrical current passes through the conductive portion. The plasma can vaporize a relatively thin layer of tissue at a treatment site on or in a patient's body without excessive heating (or other detrimental effect) of surrounding tissue.
To date, energizable electrodes have not allowed adjustments to their configuration during use. Nonetheless, an energizable electrode having an adjustable configuration can provide a surgeon with a variety of therapeutic options without having to replace or substitute one energizable electrode for another electrode having a different configuration.
Accordingly, there remains a need for an energizable electrode having an adjustable configuration. For example, there remains a need for an energizable electrode having a very compact profile to ease deployment of the electrode to a treatment site, being configured to expand to cover a relatively large area when deployed at or near the treatment site, and being further configured to contract to the compact profile for removal from the treatment site.